My Duty
by Lisa Smithers
Summary: The war is over and the Samurai rangers are left to begin new lives. Jayden goes to college, Kevin continues training to be a professional swimmer, Emily goes back to work at her family's farm, and Mia goes to culinary school. But what happens when Mike decides to join the army? What is the aftermath of the war on the rangers? And will Mike fit in in his unit? -Rated for violence.
Ji's pov

"You sure you want to do this?" Jayden asked, "It's a big commitment."

"I'm positive." Mike answered. Mike picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "Thanks for everything." Mike said, then smiled, and headed out the door where a taxi was waiting for him.

"Wait!" I called out.

Mike stopped and turned.

He gave me a hug then said, "I'll be fine, Ji."

He turned to Jayden. " Oh, and uh- good luck with college, Jay." Mike said.

"Don't forget to write." Jayden said, "I'll go down there and drag you back if you don't."

"I don't doubt it." Mike said. He got in, and the taxi drove off.

Jayden and I watched the car leave.

"Would you believe that that's the last place I expected him to go?" Jayden said.

"Being a ranger has changed all of you." I said, "His change is just a little more obvious."

"I know Ji, but the military?" Jayden asked, "How's he going to live without those video games?" The ending was laced with a joke, but I answered it as if he was serious.

"He hasn't touched them since you and Kevin cornered him." I said.

"Oh." Jayden said glancing away, "So... what did he do in his room all day?"

I put a hand on Jayden's shoulder and he followed me to Mike's old room.

He opened the door to see a few house plants.

"He spent all day taking care of his plants?" Jayden asked confused. I brought out my samuraizer and showed him a video I had taken when Mike didn't know I was watching.

"He made the plants spar with him?" Jayden asked.

"For hours everyday." Ji said, "He's always done it quite a bit, but he's done it an enormous amount since you and Kevin 'talked' to him."

"If we had known..." Jayden paused. "Kevin was jealous of him because he seemed to improve effortlessly." Jayden said, "Even I was somewhat jealous of that. He wouldn't train hardly at all, but still have the move down the next session. He wasn't improving effortlessly, we just didn't seem him practicing. Why would he hide it from us?"

"He likes to train alone." I shrugged, "That's what he does every time he goes to the forest. There's a little more room out there and he can make it more realistic for himself. It's actually quite amazing. If he's fresh, if he's just started, he can effectively simulate a whole battle while fighting in it."

"Weird." Jayden said.

It was silent for a moment, but then Jayden broke it. "When did he start considering joining the army?" Jayden asked.

"Since-" I paused, thinking about the subject further. I hadn't thought of it in that way before. "Since he was kidnapped. That's when he started looking things up, checking out options."

"And how did he did he join as an officer?" Jayden asked, "He didn't even finish high school."

"I took him to take the GED and he passed so he was done with high school." I said, "I helped him figure out how to take classes online. He worked hard, and now he's got a bachelors degree in Biochemical Engineering."

"And neither of you ever bothered to tell the rest of us?" Jayden said, looking confused.

"Mike asked me not to." I confessed, "I don't know why, but I did what he said."

* * *

A/N: Yeah, I know they were all a little OOC, but keep in mind that they're finally free to be who they are. No more pressing rules or strict training schedules. Jayden is exploring his personality now that he can do anything that he wants, and Mike is embracing how being a ranger changed him for the good. I thought Engineering would suit Mike well, and I figured that him being the samurai ranger of forest that I would insert the Biochemical part. It just seemed to fit. I like Mike to be smarter than he reveals to the other rangers. Anyway, reviews welcomed, as always. I'll try to update this again as soon as possible.


End file.
